Claire Beauchamp (who adopts the surnames Randall, Fraser, and Grey at various times) is a fictional character in the ''Outlander'' series of multi-genre novels by American author Diana Gabaldon, and its television adaptation. In the series, Claire is a married

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

nurse visiting Scotland who finds herself transported from 1945 back to 1743. There, she finds adventure, war and romance with the dashing

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

warrior Jamie Fraser. Smart, stubborn, and willful, Claire uses her wits, practical medical skills, and knowledge of the future to survive in the 18th century. Claire is portrayed by Irish actress Caitríona Balfe in the

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

television series '' Outlander''. Balfe won a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

for Best Actress on Television in 2015 and 2016, and a

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the Fan (person), fans and Public, general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined us ...

for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress in 2016. She also received nominations for the

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The award honors the best performance by an actress in a drama ...

in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Character

When visiting Scotland, married

nurse Claire Randall is transported through time from 1945 back to 1743. There, she finds adventure, war and romance with the dashing

warrior Jamie Fraser. In the following novels, after the Jacobite defeat at the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...

, Claire travels back to her time where she spends 20 years with her former husband Frank Randall, becoming a medical doctor and a surgeon, and raising her and Jamie's daughter Brianna. Finally, having discovered that Jamie survived the Battle of Culloden, she returns to 18th century Scotland and reunites with Jamie. The couple settles in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and is soon joined by their daughter Brianna as well as many Scottish settlers. Gabaldon originally intended ''Outlander'' to be straight

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

, but after a few days of writing Claire she realized that the character did not behave like an 18th century woman. Gabaldon eventually leaned into the modern approach to Claire, which prompted the introduction of

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

. Claire is often described as stubborn and impatient, and she refuses to conform to the 18th century societal expectations of women. Practicing medicine and putting to use her 20th century medical knowledge leads to numerous accusations of witchcraft, including a witch trial.

''Outlander'' novels

* '' Outlander'' (1991) * '' Dragonfly in Amber'' (1992) * '' Voyager'' (1994) * '' Drums of Autumn'' (1997) * '' The Fiery Cross'' (2001) * ''

A Breath of Snow and Ashes ''A Breath of Snow and Ashes'' is the sixth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon, published on September 27, 2005. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Fraser and her 18th century Scottish Highlander ...

'' (2005) * '' An Echo in the Bone'' (2009) * ''

Written in My Own Heart's Blood ''Written in My Own Heart's Blood'' is the eighth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fras ...

'' (2014) * '' Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone'' (2021)

Television series

Claire is portrayed by Irish actress Caitríona Balfe in the

television series '' Outlander''.

Awards and nominations

Balfe won a

for Best Actress on Television in 2015 and 2016, and a

for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress in 2016. She also received nominations for the

in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Claire Characters in American novels of the 20th century Characters in American novels of the 21st century Irish female characters in television Time travelers Atheism in television Christianity in television Fictional Catholics Fictional female doctors Fictional nurses Fictional characters from the 20th century Fictional surgeons Literary characters introduced in 1991 Television characters introduced in 2014 Orphan characters in literature Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder Outlander (franchise)